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From YourSITE.com Events Coverage We’ve all taken journeys that leave us with lasting impressions. They are the ones that we can easily reflect back on with vivid and fond memories. For the forty enthusiasts who attended TT-West 2008, it was definitely one of those journeys. In the past, TT-West events have had one host location. Not so for 2008. This was a road trip on a grand scale, passing through three states on the way to a final destination – Yellowstone National Park. With attendees coming from California, Washington, Texas, Missouri and beyond, a big part of the journey was simply getting to the starting point - downtown Salt Lake City, Utah.
As the crowd filtered into the lobby for the Tuesday morning driver’s orientation meeting, the usual suspects cleaned and detailed their cars for the sure to be bug infested drive north to the second stop on the road trip – Jackson, Wyoming. The day-long drive was set to go up from Salt Lake City through Emigration Canyon to East Canyon State Park, along the Logan Canyon Scenic Byway, with a quick stop at the National Oregon/California Trail Center in Montpelier, Idaho and then to finally arrive in Jackson, Wyoming early that evening. Early that morning the two TTSs, which were undercover overnight, were unveiled and two lucky attendees were picked to get behind the wheel for the first leg of the trip. Two others got behind the wheel of the two S5s and we were off. After battling early morning commuter traffic, we were soon through the outskirts of Salt Lake City and up into the foothills on to East Canyon State Park. The twists and turns through Emigration Canyon were delightful and set the tone for the day. With a few stops along the way to regroup, put new drivers behind the wheel of the TTSs and S5s as well as to sight see, we eventually worked our way into Logan, Utah and stopped at nice downtown park and dug into the box lunches that had been provided for the day. Back on the road, the group enjoyed the outstanding views provided through the Logan Scenic Byway. After stopping at the National Oregon/California Trail Center for a group photo, it was back on the road, cutting through the corner of Idaho then on to Jackson and the first glimpse of the Grand Teton mountain range. It had been a long day on the road, and the group rolled into Jackson a bit weary, but still enthusiastic.
Once settled in at the Trapper Inn & Suites right in the heart of the downtown area, everyone caught their second wind and geared up for a night of good food, drinks and entertainment. Even though it was a Tuesday night, the downtown restaurants, nightclubs and art galleries were quite busy. With no group function scheduled for the evening, small groups headed out to do their own thing, sampling the local faire with a few hearty individuals meeting up after dinner for dancing and fun at the Million Dollar Cowboy Bar. Wednesday morning would mark the final leg of the road trip through Grand Teton National Park and on to Yellowstone National Park. Waking up to brisk temperatures and ice on the cars, it was just a bit difficult to clean them up for the drive – but somehow we managed to get it done. It was also time to say goodbye to Chas and the two white TTSs, which were headed back to Salt Lake City rather than going up through Yellowstone. Fortunately, the two S5s would carry on for the entire trip.
The drive up out of Jackson on Highway 89/191 to Grand Teton National Park was breathtaking. The ragged mountains jutting up towards the sky were truly incredible. We rolled through the valley into Grand Teton National Park and off to the Jackson Lake Lodge for a prearranged lunch. The first “official” wildlife sighting of the trip occurred outside the lodge, where a female moose and her calf were enjoying their lunch in the field adjacent to the lodge. Back in the cars for the final part of the drive, we rolled through scenic valley after scenic valley until we reached the south entrance to Yellowstone National Park. As we slowly wound our way up to the Old Faithful Inn, everyone was ready to settle in for the next few days.
With the geysers bellowing steam in the background, the Old Faithful Inn loomed ahead. Originally built in the winter of 1903-04, this Robert C. Reamer designed hotel is constructed of local lodge pole pine and is quite a magnificent structure especially with the world famous Old Faithful Geyser just to the side of the hotel. It has seen the addition of the east wing in 1915 and the west wing in 1927. The stunning lobby is highlighted by its 65 foot tall ceiling with double mezzanines as well as a multisided rhyolite fireplace. As everyone settled in, several new TT-West attendees joined the group and everyone made plans for dinner at the variety of restaurants around the main area. After dinner, the annual hospitality suite was opened and the group then moved to a portion of the 2nd floor mezzanine of the Hotel lobby, where everyone proceeded to relax, get in some car talk and enjoy the variety of libations made available. For many, this was their first time to Yellowstone National Park and almost everyone was eager to take the guided planned tour the next day with Buffalo Bus Touring Company out of West Yellowstone, Montana. Several others opted to spend the day driving or hiking around Yellowstone on their own, but were going to meet up with the group at the Bar N Ranch in West Yellowstone for the group dinner early that evening. The bus tour was fantastic. The guide was extremely knowledgeable and provided a lot of information about the park, its history and the indigenous wildlife. The tour route began at the West entrance and followed the road through Madison and Morris and then up to Mammoth Hot Springs for an extended lunch stop. Mammoth is the location of the historic Fort Yellowstone and the Albright Visitor Center. It is also home to three harems of Elk, with one very happy and boisterous Elk bull roaming about, offering numerous photo ops for the group. Once back on the bus we headed east to Tower Roosevelt and then south over Mt. Washburn (10,243 ft elevation!) and then down to Canyon Village. During this portion of the drive, we encountered one of the largest traffic jams of the day, with cars lining the road in both directions, which is a sure indication of something worth seeing. As it turned out, there was a bear in the woods just off the road. Our guide found a safe place to park and then let everyone off the bus, much to his concern, as he hadn’t seen what type of bear it was, but down a short embankment from the road stood a grizzly bear, foraging through the trees. Needless to say, we didn’t stay too long but took our share of pictures and headed back to the bus. Following our route back to West Yellowstone, the bus returned us back to our cars and we all hopped in heading to the group dinner at the Bar N Ranch. I think it’s an understatement to say that everyone thoroughly enjoyed their meal. The restaurant was off the beaten path, but offered up a wonderful selection of main courses and homemade desserts. After dinner, it was back to the Old Faithful Inn for another round at the hospitality suite and the great beer exchange.
Friday morning brought about the beginning of the end of the official 2008 TT-West adventure. As customary with all TT-West events, the big drive was scheduled for the last day and what a drive it was. The destination was Red Lodge, Montana via the Northeast entrance to the Park and spirited drive over the Bear Tooth Pass which tops out at just under 11,000 feet in elevation. With our FRS radios set and with the cars fueled up, we headed towards the Northeast gate. With the cool morning air and clear skies, the surrounding geysers in Monument Geyser Basin were a perfect setting for a group photo. Back on the road, we traveled through some familiar places we’d seen on the bus tour and back over Mt. Washburn and then onto the Lamar Valley. While we’d seen a few Bison along the way, it was in this valley that we witnessed several large herds (on the way back, we had to stop to let a couple cross the road). Once out of the park, we made our way to the Bear Tooth Pass. Given that the road is only open between the end of May (and this year late June) and October, it was certainly a rare treat. Climbing nearly 4,000 feet from the valley floor, the group made a safe, but spirited ascent up the pass. Regrouping at the lookout point, the grins were wide as were the views from the top. Truly a special place with the remnants of last winter’s snowpack still dotting the ridgelines and lush green river valleys sprinkled with fall color below. The descent down into Red Lodge, Montana proved to be as exciting as the climb as we arrived in downtown Red Lodge. After everyone renourished themselves with pizza and salad at the Red Lodge Pizza Company, it was back to Bear Tooth Pass for a reverse run up the backside and then onto the Northeast Yellowstone entrance. The original route map had called for a diversion on the way back which would have brought us back in a slightly different way, but since the final evening banquet reservations were in place and we were short on time, we opted for the shorter route back. It certainly didn’t disappoint.
Once back at the Old Faithful Inn, everyone scurried to the nearby Old Faithful Snow Lodge for the final evening’s banquet and festivities, but you couldn’t help to pause a moment and realize that after tonight, the event would be over and it left one wondering where the last five days had gone. As with banquets past, the closing event raffle was the highlight of the evening. Thanks to event sponsors such as Revo Technik, Audi Club North America, and others, almost everyone in the room came away with some type of gift, be it a coupon for a spot on an ACNA driving school and safety seminar, a Revo Technik software upgrade, a pair of Defcon inserts from MCPi, or a car detailing kit from Griot’s Garage. And lest we forget, Audi of America’s participation with the four cars which was a gift to all attendees throughout the entire event! Although the TT brings a common theme to the events and there are a fair amount of similar activities planned, each event seems so different… especially this one. Maybe it was the smaller group, or the amount of days on the road together, maybe it was simply the incredible surrounds we were exposed to everyday. It was probably all of that and more. As the group enjoyed the remnants of the great beer exchange on Friday night and savored the last moments together, everyone couldn’t help but ask the same question “What are we doing for TT-West 2009?” While I don’t have an answer to that question, I certainly know that whereever it is, it’s going to be extremely difficult to compare to 2008’s journey… though I suspect that it will be another great event.
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